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With the development of the coffee industry, coffee is no longer an unattainable, high-end beverage. Instead, coffee has become a daily pick-me-up for office workers. Coffee is being consumed more and more often, the choices are increasingly diverse, and the coffee-making methods vary widely—there are espresso-based ones, and there is also the seemingly refined and elegant pour-over coffee.

Many friends who have tasted lattes and Americanos from FrontStreet Coffee often ask FrontStreet Coffee's baristas with great curiosity: Why do the lattes and Americanos have a rich wine aroma? Is it because Sherry SOE coffee beans are used?

Friends familiar with FrontStreet Coffee's offerings should often see FrontStreet Coffee mention in many articles that when FrontStreet Coffee stores serve espresso drinks, the espresso beans used are the Sunflower Warm Sun blend espresso beans. When FrontStreet Coffee advises friends who intend to buy espresso beans, it generally recommends espresso blends rather than single-origin coffee beans. Next, let Front Street explain why espresso generally uses blended beans.

Single-origin coffee beans generally refer to coffee beans from a single origin. If single-origin coffee beans are used to extract espresso, this is what people call SOE coffee. SOE stands for Single Origin Espresso, which means single-origin espresso.

Coffee beans are a type of crop. Grown in different regions, they also develop different flavors due to the unique climate and environment of the growing area. This is also why coffee connoisseurs who like acidity generally choose Ethiopia or Kenya.

However, the extraction principle of espresso is: within a relatively short time, near-boiling hot water is forced at a high pressure of about 9 bar through a compacted puck of fine coffee grounds, thereby obtaining the essence liquid from the fine coffee grounds.

Friends who have tried drinking espresso straight should never forget its taste. This brewing method can amplify the original flavor characteristics of the coffee beans.

This means that when Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans are used as SOE coffee beans for espresso extraction, Yirgacheffe's originally fresh citrus notes may become especially sour after being pressed through the espresso machine, resulting in a golden essence liquid.

Or, if Front Street uses Indonesian Mandheling as SOE coffee beans for espresso extraction, Mandheling's original herbal and earthy flavor characteristics are further amplified, which may make the espresso taste bitter like a strong Chinese herbal medicine.

It is precisely because SOE coffee beans can amplify and bring out the flavor of a single origin to the extreme that they have won temporary praise from many coffee drinkers. However, wanting a delicious SOE is not easy, and there are also relatively strict requirements for the roasting of the coffee beans. If you want to taste the origin's flavor, it cannot be too dark; roasting it too light can easily lead to imbalanced acidity, while roasting it too dark will mask the original flavor of the origin.

Espresso emphasizes a balance of acidity and bitterness and a full-bodied mouthfeel. In the selection of espresso beans, blended coffee beans are generally the main choice, blending two or more coffee beans of different varieties, different origins, and different processing methods together, so as to achieve the effect of different coffee beans complementing each other's strengths and making up for each other's weaknesses.

Different coffee beans have different blending ratios, and the flavors and characteristics they express also differ. Front Street's approach to formulating espresso blends is based on acidity, sweetness, bitterness, pleasant aftertaste, and richness, bringing the flavor and mouthfeel characteristics of various coffee beans to the extreme. For example, the four espresso blends on FrontStreet Coffee's bean shelf each have their own characteristics, and their blending ratios are obtained through a large number of matching tests by Front Street's roasters to achieve the best flavor ratio.

For friends who like rich and aromatic coffee, Front Street Classic Espresso Blend is recommended. This is a recipe composed of three origins: Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It uses a dark roast, which can maximize the coffee's rich aroma and also allow everyone to easily extract rich and dense crema. Whether making an Americano diluted with water or a latte paired with milk, it is very suitable. It can be purchased and ordered at Front Street's Taobao store or Front Street's Tmall flagship store.

Among them, the espresso extracted from the Sunflower Warm Sun blend used in Front Street stores has berry acidity emerging on the entry, with rich vanilla cream flavor, a striking whisky aroma, and a dark chocolate finish. This blend used by Front Street is composed of 70% Honduras Sherry and 30% Ethiopian natural Yirgacheffe.

Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans

Origin: Honduras & Ethiopia

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas, local heirloom varieties

Processing method: Washed & Natural

Before serving every day, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas adjust the various parameters for espresso extraction each day according to the temperature and humidity of the climate. After adjustment, FrontStreet Coffee uses a Galileo Q18 espresso coffee grinder at a grind setting of 1.5 to grind 19.7 grams of coffee grounds, brews with a Lelit Bianca V3 espresso machine, and extracts 38 to 40 grams of espresso liquid in 30 to 32 seconds.

Some people like to drink espresso directly, this brown essence liquid pressed from coffee beans. When FrontStreet Coffee serves espresso, it also serves a glass of ice water and a small spoon.

Drinkers can first take a sip of ice water to wash away odors in the mouth and prepare in every way. At this point, you can choose to use the small spoon to stir the espresso slightly so that the upper and lower layers blend better. Then take a sip of espresso and let the espresso liquid stay in the mouth for a moment, so that the tongue and the entire mouth can better taste the texture and flavor of the coffee liquid.

However, espresso's flavor is too concentrated, and not everyone can accept it. More coffee lovers like to add an appropriate amount of water or milk to the espresso to dilute it, thereby spreading out the overly concentrated coffee flavor. Whether adding milk to make a latte or adding water to make an Americano, this blended coffee bean performs excellently with its rich vanilla, cream, and whisky aroma, and has won praise from many coffee lovers.

FrontStreet Coffee has encountered many coffee lovers who usually mainly drink espresso and occasionally drink pour-over coffee. So, can espresso blends be used to make pour-over coffee? Of course they can. Because of the blending, the flavor will be more balanced.

Front Street's Sunflower Warm Sun blend can also be used to make pour-over coffee. Since the roast level is medium-dark, Front Street recommends brewing with the following parameters:

Dripper: KONO

Water temperature: 88°C

Dose: 15 grams

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: 80% passing a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve

First pour 30 grams of hot water and bloom for 30 seconds. Pour from the center in a thin stream and slowly circle to 125 grams in stages. When the water level in the dripper drops until the coffee bed is about to be exposed, continue circling and pouring to 225 grams. The total extraction time is about 2 minutes.

Because the coffee beans are roasted darker, after roasting the internal structure of the beans is looser and contains more gas. Front Street recommends first going through a 4- to 7-day resting period to let the coffee's flavor stabilize before brewing. During brewing, carry out the blooming step. After the coffee grounds are wet, they release gas, promoting the release of carbon dioxide from the particles, thereby extracting the good flavor substances more completely.

After Front Street's Warm Sun blend coffee beans are brewed with the above parameters, the entry has rich aromas of vanilla, cream, and oak barrel. As the temperature drops slightly, berry acidity emerges, with a long dark chocolate finish. The overall acidity and bitterness are balanced, and the mouthfeel is heavy.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.